Before Their Eyes
by Becky Sky
Summary: When an accident occurs that leaves one of the girls hospitalized and the other the key to the qustion "Why?", the heroes must battle their fiercest opponent yet... death.
1. Chapter 1

Before Their Eyes

"See ya!" Atlanta yelled as she exited the brownstone, skateboard in hand. She rolled her eyes at Neil's, "Be back before supper!" and threw her board onto the sidewalk, jumping onto it and heading towards the park. Her hazel eyes shone as she felt the wind whistle through her short red hair, and she laughed aloud as she witnessed two squirrels quarrelling over a nut in one of the surrounding trees that were scattered around the city. That was when she noticed that she had wandered into the street.

Frowning, she tried to steer back onto the sidewalk, but the board wasn't obeying. Scared now, she leapt off the board as cars swerved to avoid hitting her. A huge transport crushed the skateboard into pieces seconds after she had been there.

She rushed back to the brownstone, her eyes wild in panic as she barged through the door.

"Guys!" she cried. Theresa and Neil, who were watching television together, whipped around to glance at her in concern.

"What is it, Atlanta?" Theresa asked, jumping to her feet.

"Someone, or something, tried to kill me!" Atlanta gasped. Theresa looked horrified, and she grabbed her friend's hand, pulling her towards the door.

"Let's go check it out!" she cried, glancing back at Neil. "You coming?"

Neil shook his head. "I'd rather not deal with monsters or Cronus today. It's bad for the complexion." Theresa sighed in exasperation.

"Whatever. Keep your PMR on hand in case we need to call for help."

He nodded absently, and the girls ran out towards the scene.

"Atlanta, do you have an extra skateboard?" Theresa asked as they ran. Atlanta nodded.

"Why?"

"I want to try something with it," she answered. Atlanta stopped running, forcing her friend to slow down as well.

"You, board?" she asked in disbelief. Theresa was the last person she expected to skateboard; riding and shopping seemed like more her thing.

Theresa looked insulted. "Why not? Surely you don't stereotype me into being like a Barbie doll just because I don't wear the same clothes as you, or enjoy racing boys instead of dating them," she shot.

Atlanta blushed uncomfortably. "No, it's just…"

"Save your breath. I can read minds, remember? Now go get your skateboard and let's go."

Atlanta complied and in less than a minute, the two girls were on their way again, Atlanta's spare board in Theresa's possession.

"This is it," Atlanta pointed to an intersection. Theresa placed the board on the pavement and leapt onto it, speeding off with such precision and control that Atlanta was amazed. She weaved throughout traffic, ignoring annoyed drivers' horns and fingers.

She started back to Atlanta when it happened. The board wouldn't move and this time whatever had nearly killed her last time did its job better. When Theresa tried to jump off the board, both she and Atlanta realized that it was impossible.

"Oh my gods!" Theresa screamed as a huge truck barrelled towards her, spinning out of control.

"THERESA!" Atlanta yelled. "NO!"

As the truck and her friend collided, the skateboard suddenly vanished, and that was when Atlanta knew that Cronus was somehow behind it. She ran to her friend, who lay on the ground, blood streaming from gaping wounds on her head. Atlanta fumbled for her PMR, but dropped it. She noticed that her hands were shaking. Finally, she called Neil and yelled at him to get the others and hurry down to the scene.

She glanced around to see a crowd gathering. Angrily she waved at them, yelling for someone to call an ambulance. Many nervous adults dialled 911 on their cell phones, while she anxiously waited to hear sirens in the distance. She heard the screeching of huge wheels as Herry's truck arrived, and five horror-stricken teens rushed towards their friends.

Jay arrived first, jaw dropping as he saw all the blood. Odie and Herry arrived second, their eyes worried and sombre. Neil inched towards Theresa, green from seeing all the blood, and when he arrived, he turned away to puke. Archie came last, shuffling his feet, and looking upset. He didn't know what to say; none of them did.

"How?" he asked at last.

"Cr…o…nus."

The six jumped, startled by their team mate's sudden reaction.

"She's alive!" they heard a hysterical woman in the audience shriek. An excited murmur ran through the crowd, and cheering broke out.

But they six others were not joining; they knew that the battle wasn't over yet. As the paramedics turned up and laid their friend on a stretcher, they were told to go home. Instead, they followed Theresa to the hospital, full of more questions than answers.

Theresa was rushed to Emergency, where doctors milled about, conversing quietly. The others sat down in the waiting room, nervous and afraid. Jay called the gods on his PMR, informing them on what had occurred. Within minutes Persephone came, her long blonde hair pulled back in a bun, and wearing jeans and a t-shirt instead of her typical long white dress. Her grey blue eyes were red from crying, and they now burned with anger.

She sat down in the soft velvet chair next to Jay. "How did it happen?" she hissed. Jay shrugged. He gestured to Atlanta, too afraid that saying something would cause his tears to pour out, there for everyone to see. He had to be the invincible leader, even if it killed him.

At Persephone's question, Atlanta explained what had happened to her, and then to Theresa, with disastrous results. She began to weep when she remembered how Theresa had been so right about her closed mindedness, and Archie rubbed her back uncomfortably, trying to console her, but not quite able to steady his rapidly beating heart.

Suddenly a young woman wearing a long white coat appeared in front of them, her face grave. "Are you Theresa's family?"

Persephone nodded. "I'm her aunt, and these are her cousins." The woman's eyebrow arched in disbelief, but she didn't make any remark, especially about Odie's apparent ancestry compared to the rest of them. The teens all glared at her, daring her to say something about their African-American friend. She cleared her throat, blushing under the heat of their stares.

"Would you like to hear about Theresa or not?" she asked. They all looked at each other, full of dread.

"Is that a trick question?" Neil asked. Herry, Archie, Odie, and Atlanta turned to stare angrily at him when they noticed that his face was streaked with tears. They turned away ashamed and full of guilt, and they didn't know why. Jay just stared at the doctor, willing her to say that Theresa would survive, just as she always had.

The doctor looked grave. "Theresa needs an operation, and…" She blinked back and forth repeatedly, obviously saddened by her news. Atlanta burst into more tears at her loss of comprehension.

"But there's a risk," the doctor continued. "If it goes well, her life will be saved. But if it goes wrong, she may end up brain dead or…she may not survive."

The horrid truth seemed surreal to the heroes; but Herry burst out into loud, horrible sobs, and Odie began to swipe at his eyes quickly with a kerchief. Archie glared down at the ground, tears trickling down his face. And Jay let his sword slide out of its sheath over and over, as if contemplating taking his own life as well.

"You must make a decision," the doctor said quietly. "Do you want her to have this operation?"

The teens all nodded dumbly. They had to try to save her no matter what. Just because this was out of their hands didn't give them the right to let her die.

The doctor turned and walked away, and a nurse came forward and urged them to go home; she'd call in the morning with any news. At first Jay and the others refused, but eventually they realized that there was nothing they could do there.

They drove back to the brownstone with heavy hearts; right before their eyes their team mate was fading, and there was nothing they could do, except hope.

**A/n" Let me know if I should continue with this story. Originally supposed to be an oneshot about Atlanta and Archie's relationship, but instead this came out of it. Please review! Luv, Becky**


	2. Chapter 2

Jay glanced out at the busy street from his bedroom window, his skylight open to let the cool summer breeze enter and soothe his nerves as best it could. But his heart was hurting, and he longed for the sea and a sailboat so that he could sail away from all this pain and hurt. But then he'd be leaving Theresa behind. Restless, Jay got up and paced his bedroom floor, running his hand through his brown hair anxiously.

He wanted to rush to the hospital and force Theresa to get better, but all he could do was wait and pray and wait and pray again. Tears leaked from his eyes, and he reached up to wipe them away, but realized that he was alone. Theresa had always said that it was okay to cry, and he didn't have the heart to think she was wrong.

He heard sniffling from the next room, and he went and peeked into Theresa's room to see Atlanta sitting on her bed, a yearbook splayed across her lap and tears seeping down her cheeks. Jay went and sat beside her, gently taking the book to flip through them himself. His eyes feasted on the pictures of Theresa and him, Theresa by herself on a horse, her hair flying behind her like a banner as they flew over a jump, Theresa and Atlanta posing with goofy grins, and Theresa and Neil arguing over the last bottle of conditioner on the shelf. Theresa and the six others at the beach, Theresa and Herry laughing at the camera over milk shakes, Theresa and Archie trying to fix her car after its engine blew. Jay stopped at this one and grinned at the memory of Theresa smeared with dirt and Archie making a disgusted face as he got engine oil all over his shorts. Theresa's eyes had sparkled despite of the situation as she witnessed Archie making a complete fool of himself, and Jay would pay Archie a million dollars if he could bring them back to that day, before all this had happened.

Atlanta was weeping silently, and suddenly Archie was there, ready to comfort her as best he could. Herry, Odie and Neil also entered her room, all finding a place to sit, either on her bed or on the floor. Herry began to bawl, and Odie looked down at the floor, while Neil covered his face with his hands.

They set up a vigil, all waiting eagerly to hear one of the many telephones in the dorm begin to ring, with news of Theresa on the other end of the line.

That was where the gods found them hours later, Atlanta asleep on the floor with her head in Archie's lap, and Archie sound asleep against the bed. Herry was sprawled out, snoring, on Theresa's soft green mattress, and Odie was curled up at the foot of it. Neil was out on the floor, and Jay appeared to be resting against the wide windowsill, his head against the pane. His eyes opened when they turned to leave though, and within two seconds he was within their midst, his chocolate eyes begging for news. Yet he was disappointed when they shook their heads sadly. Sighing, he rushed downstairs and out the door, tired of waiting. He wasn't going to let the hospital decide when it was time to call them. He was going to be with Theresa through the surgery or after, whichever it was. But he wasn't going to let her suffer through anymore of this alone.

He stalked down the sidewalk, full of anger and an unidentified emotion, something he had never felt before… he tried to think of what it may be. Hatred. He had never liked Cronus, but he had never felt hatred towards him; he had never had time to. He was always too busy trying to think of ideas to defeat him, but now Cronus had hurt him so badly Jay had to feel something. And he did. Hatred. So deep and powerful, and such motivation. He was more determined than ever to trounce Cronus, throwing the god into the pits of Tarturus to burn forever.

He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't see that he had reached the hospital. It was only when he looked up that he noticed that he had passed it. He retraced his steps and entered through the clear glass doors. He approached the receptionist's desk and asked to see Theresa Rogers. The woman at the desk nodded.

"But you can only see her for an hour." She peered at him closely. "Are you family?"

Jay nodded. "What room is she in?"

"Room number 14 and she's on the second floor. I must warn you though; she's in a horrid state."

"Thank you." Jay walked away, bounding up stairs to the second floor. He strode briskly down the hallway, and quickly reached Room 14. His heart was in his throat as he tried to decide whether or not to go in. He didn't want to admit it, but the woman's words had gotten to him. He was afraid of what they had done to her. He laughed quietly at himself. He did not fear Cronus; yet he was scared of what doctors had done to Theresa? He chuckled again, but it was a dry laugh, and it was full of sadness.

Finally he bucked up and went in, but immediately wished he had not. Theresa was laid out on a white hospital bed, her eyes closed, and her head bandaged. Stitches criss-crossed over her forehead, and her face was pale where it wasn't red around her wounds. Every so often her leg would twitch or her eyes flutter open, but other than that she did not stir.

He turned to see a nurse walking in. She was small and looked nervous to see him there. "What are you doing here?" she asked, hands fluttering like the wings of an anxious bird.

"Is she alright?"

The nurse sighed, her pale blue eyes sad. "We don't know. We did what we could; it's all up to her now. We'll know if she's okay when she wakes up… if she wakes up."

"What do you mean?" Jay panicked.

"I'm sorry, young man, but your friend here has slipped into a coma."

"Did you know this might happen when you did the operation?" Jay asked, outraged.

The woman shook her head. "We didn't know what was going to happen. I'm so sorry."

Astonished, hurt, and full of pain, Jay sank into one of the nearby chairs, covered his face with his hands, and cried.


	3. Chapter 3

Atlanta woke up nestled in the crook of Archie's arm. Any other time she would have been embarrassed and pushed him away, but right then she needed the comfort in his warmth. Blushing at her thoughts, she cuddled closer to him and tried to get back to sleep. But when she closed her eyes she saw Theresa in her lids, bleeding slowly to death. Gasping, she opened her eyes and struggled to her feet, racing out the door and through the brownstone. She didn't hesitate to exit the building, her heart thumping wildly as she searched for a place to hide from her guilt and heartache.

She headed for the movie theatre, where she and Theresa had spent many evenings wasting away munching popcorns and watching garbage movies at the expense of entertainment. Her eyes skimmed the posters of the movies that the cinema was playing: "Love at First Bite", "Bourne the Third", and "Dying to See You Again". As she read the last one, she began to bawl, as harried onlookers tried to console her as best they could, wondering why she was so upset about a movie… besides, some thought, it wasn't real life…

Herry rummaged in the refrigerator trying to find something edible. His hand encircled the last piece of carrot cake. Satisfied, he brought it out and laid it on the table. He had just begun to eat the first bite of it when he discovered a note stuck to its plate:

_Herry, I know what you're thinking: That this last piece is for you. You're wrong; it's for Odie, and you're going to go and do two laps around the school for even thinking it was yours! I know you love my cooking, but you've got to share. I promise I'll make you an extra chocolate chip muffin for school next Wednesday, okay? Love, Resa_

Anything that was in his mouth suddenly seemed dry and tasteless. This cake had been crafted by Theresa's slender hands, made by her careful measuring and shaping. And he had the nerve to eat the last piece that may ever be made. This belonged in a museum, not in his stomach. Herry felt queasy and he wondered how one girl could have made such an impression on his life to spoil his appetite. Tears oozed down his face like slime, and he wiped them away in disgust. Gingerly, he returned the food to the fridge and headed out to run two laps, even if only in memory of her.

Neil woke up in Theresa's bedroom and realized that Jay, Atlanta, and Herry were gone. Archie and Odie both continued to slumber, their dried tears shimmering on their cheeks. He decided to take a shower and left to go to the washroom. His feet echoed off the floorboards of the nearly-deserted brownstone, and Neil couldn't help but think that it felt a little creepy. He always expected Atlanta or Theresa to jump out at him from around a corner, laughing as he let out his high-pitched girly scream. Theresa. A lump formed in his throat as he remembered yesterday. She had helped him feel more about others than just about himself; she had believed in him when others had chuckled about Echo actually liking him. Theresa had been the sister he never had, lecturing him when he wasn't chivalrous and teaching him how to treat a girl if he wanted to date her.

"She had great fashion sense too," he said aloud. Then he had a revelation: why was he talking about her in past tense? It wasn't as if she was dead yet; Neil still had time to go and tell her how he felt.

He hurried to the bathroom and chose the conditioner she had bought him one year for Christmas; it smelled of mint and peaches, and made him feel cheery. Just like her.

Odie heard the soft footfalls as Neil walked away, and he sat up groggily. He suddenly apprehended the time, and he scrambled to his feet. It was time to go and set up a fundraiser for Theresa. Every cent of it would go to helping her recuperate from her major surgery. He scuttled away to his room in the basement and locked the door, letting the dim light soothe his tired eyes as he sat down at his computer. He began typing frantically, creating posters to tape up around down, pleading for the public's help in saving Theresa's life. At the bottom of the poster he finished with: _She Needs Your Help; Please don't go Home to your Family without Helping Hers!_ He sat back, satisfied, and with a final _click_ hit the print button.

Archie's own snoring was what woke him up. Looking around through bleary eyes helped him notice that he was alone. He sat up and yawned, avoiding thoughts of the night before. He tried to tell himself that it had never happened; that Theresa or Cronus had fooled with their minds to make them think otherwise. But in his heart, he knew it was true. He just thought that it would hurt less if he lied.

Archie didn't cry as he gazed around the room, trying to find a hint of something that wasn't there: Theresa's smile. He wandered over to her dressing table and let his fingers glide over her perfume bottles and lipstick canisters. He finally found the perfume Theresa always wore; he remembered it because he had always complained about its sickening, girly smell. But he didn't mind opening the bottle and inhaling the scent of strawberries and cream, maybe because it was her smell; the smell of a friend who was dying for naught.

He clenched his fists in anger and whirled around as if to see Cronus there and run him through with his anger and his Hephaestus whip; but in his torment he spilt Theresa's costly aroma all over his shirt. He tipped out so much it formed a stain on his famous blue hoodie, but Archie couldn't care less. If the others laughed at him, and Jay and Atlanta were wondering why he was wearing Theresa's cologne, he would just shrug and say that it was her memory haunting him like mist on a cold, shivering day. Then they'd roll their eyes and think, Typical Archie, but he wouldn't care less. And he felt sure none of them really would, because she was vanishing like the summer days, never to come again the same way as before.

Jay stopped crying when the nurse reminded him that he only had an hour with Theresa. When she walked away, he took Theresa's hand and squeezed it tightly, as if he could possibly share his life force with her through his touch. He would willingly give up half his breath to see her beautiful emerald eyes open and see her smiling at him. He had never wished for something so much and so hard, not even for a great shot at defeating Cronus once and for all.

His grip on her hand tightened as her eyes blinked open. He leaned over her expectantly, his heart leaping a beat. But his hopes sank as they closed, without comprehension of his presence. He kneeled by her bedside, and closed his eyes, yearning to wake up to see her smiling at him and laughing at his joyous expression. He wanted to be able to hug her close to him in relief and kiss her lips, rejoicing in life itself. With these thoughts in his mind, he slept, and dreamed of her.


	4. Chapter 4

Inside Theresa's head, thoughts whirled around, wild and uncollected. Ideas, images, and memories floated about. Theresa looked about, awake inside herself. She saw Jay, Atlanta, Herry, Odie, Archie and Neil sleeping in her room as her vision shimmered into a dim blue hue. She was having a vision inside her head. Amazed, she tried to wake herself up. Her vision shimmered again as she saw Jay by her side, holding her hand tightly and tears running down his cheeks. She tried to squeeze his hand in acknowledgement, but her body wouldn't listen to her. It seemed as though her body was asleep while her soul was awake.

She was trapped inside her own body.

"Young man, visiting time is over," a woman's firm voice said, interrupting Jay's sleep. He yawned and winced as his knees cracked. He had been kneeling for over forty-five minutes, and his grip on Theresa's hand had loosened. Reluctantly, he allowed the nurse to herd him out the door, leaving Theresa to awaken on her own.

Back at the dorm, Jay met Neil as he was going out the door.

"Where are you going?" Jay asked.

"To visit Theresa," he said confidently. "We have lots to talk about: conditioners, that cute chick in my biology class…" he stopped as he noticed Jay's pained face. "What's wrong?"

Jay sighed. "Go get the others. There's something you guys should know." Worriedly, Neil hurried away, calling for Archie and the others to meet them in the living room.

A few minutes later five teenagers were gathered in the living room. Archie was sprawled across the comfy green chair, and Herry, Odie and Neil were seated primly on the couch. Jay stood in the middle, assessing the situation when he noticed Atlanta was missing. Clapping his hand to his forehead in exasperation, Jay groaned. "Archie and Neil go and find Atlanta."

The two obeyed meekly, their usual complaints silenced by the grave circumstances. Within minutes the boys were hastening down the sidewalk, calling Atlanta's name. They split up, Neil searching the shops and Archie heading towards the park.

As Archie paced past benches he heard a weeping sound. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the prominent red hair of his friend. She was curled up on one of the many benches strewn throughout New Olympia, her arms around her knees.

"Atlanta?" he asked softly, approaching her slowly like making friends with a stray animal.

She looked up at him, her hazel orbs shining with tears. Her cheeks gleamed with tears that had flooded down her face all too often that day. She sniffled and wiped at her eyes, embarrassed that he had seen her cry. Gone was her tough tomboy attitude, and the sassy demeanour that covered up her soft heart. Atlanta felt naked and exposed, her true self laid out for everyone to see.

Archie came over and sat beside her, letting his feet trail through the accumulated dirt, garbage, dust and leaves sprinkled around the seat.

"Hey Archie," Atlanta sniffed. "What are you doing here?"

"Jay called a meeting. He sent me and Neil to get you."

She frowned. "Him and his stupid meetings," she said angrily, surprising him with her fierceness. She glanced up at him, shocked at herself.

"Don't you see what this has done to me?" she whispered. "It's filled me with guilt and anger and hatred and sorrow and so many other things I've never felt before." Her lips trembled, and she covered her face with her hands, as if too ashamed that the world would see her lack of self control.

"Why did it have to be her?" she sobbed. Archie wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, ignoring the ring of his PMR as someone called to see if he had found her. He began to rock her back and forth as though she were a child, singing quietly under his breath, and stroking her hair tenderly.

Her shoulders heaved with sobs as she clung to him; her lifeline and her best friend. She was partially aware that her tears were soaking him. All she could smell was strawberries and cream, Theresa's scent, and it soothed her. It helped her realize that Theresa was always with them, whether it was simply in smell or in the actions of the ones she loved. Archie continued to cradle her in his arms until she quieted; comforted by the closeness of him and the assurance that Theresa was in their hearts, rallying with them to crush their woes and conquer Cronus once and for all.


End file.
